Apestar Conjugation in Spanish
The Spanish verb apestar means to stink, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Apestar means to stink, to smell very bad. It is used for rubbish, fish, smoke and drains, and it is fully regular. It is informal and direct, so it suits complaints rather than polite conversation. Like every Spanish verb, apestar changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say apesto a pescado en la cocina, and in the preterite you say apesté en el baño por la tubería. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.
Quick facts
- Infinitive: apestar
- English: to stink
- Verb type: regular -ar verb
- Ending: -ar
- Gerund: apestando
- Past participle: apestado
- Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + apestado)
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for apestar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Apestar is fully regular: apesto, apesta. It always means a bad smell; oler can be good or bad.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for apestar. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.
Present indicative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apesto |
| tú | apestas |
| él/ella/Ud. | apesta |
| nosotros/as | apestamos |
| vosotros/as | apestáis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apestan |
Preterite
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apesté |
| tú | apestaste |
| él/ella/Ud. | apestó |
| nosotros/as | apestamos |
| vosotros/as | apestasteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apestaron |
Imperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apestaba |
| tú | apestabas |
| él/ella/Ud. | apestaba |
| nosotros/as | apestábamos |
| vosotros/as | apestabais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apestaban |
Future
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apestaré |
| tú | apestarás |
| él/ella/Ud. | apestará |
| nosotros/as | apestaremos |
| vosotros/as | apestaréis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apestarán |
Conditional
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apestaría |
| tú | apestarías |
| él/ella/Ud. | apestaría |
| nosotros/as | apestaríamos |
| vosotros/as | apestaríais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apestarían |
Present perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | he apestado |
| tú | has apestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | ha apestado |
| nosotros/as | hemos apestado |
| vosotros/as | habéis apestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | han apestado |
Pluperfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | había apestado |
| tú | habías apestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | había apestado |
| nosotros/as | habíamos apestado |
| vosotros/as | habíais apestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habían apestado |
Future perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habré apestado |
| tú | habrás apestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habrá apestado |
| nosotros/as | habremos apestado |
| vosotros/as | habréis apestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrán apestado |
Conditional perfect
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | habría apestado |
| tú | habrías apestado |
| él/ella/Ud. | habría apestado |
| nosotros/as | habríamos apestado |
| vosotros/as | habríais apestado |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | habrían apestado |
Present subjunctive
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apeste |
| tú | apestes |
| él/ella/Ud. | apeste |
| nosotros/as | apestemos |
| vosotros/as | apestéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apesten |
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | apestara |
| tú | apestaras |
| él/ella/Ud. | apestara |
| nosotros/as | apestáramos |
| vosotros/as | apestarais |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apestaran |
Imperative (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | apesta |
| él/ella/Ud. | apeste |
| nosotros/as | apestemos |
| vosotros/as | apestad |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apesten |
Imperative (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú | apestes |
| él/ella/Ud. | apeste |
| nosotros/as | apestemos |
| vosotros/as | apestéis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | apesten |
Gerund and past participle
| Form | Spanish | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Gerund | apestando | with estar for the progressive: estoy apestando |
| Past participle | apestado | with haber for the perfect tenses: he apestado |
How to use each tense
Present indicative
Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Apesto a pescado en la cocina. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Preterite
Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, apesté a humo después del incendio. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect
Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, apestaba en el baño por la tubería. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future
Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, apestaré a basura en verano. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional
Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Apestaría a pescado en la cocina si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present perfect
Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he apestado a humo después del incendio. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Pluperfect
Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había apestado en el baño por la tubería antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Future perfect
Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré apestado a basura en verano. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Conditional perfect
Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría apestado a pescado en la cocina con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Present subjunctive
Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él apeste a humo después del incendio. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)
Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él apestara en el baño por la tubería, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (affirmative)
Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Apesta a basura en verano! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Imperative (negative)
Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For apestar, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No apestes a pescado en la cocina. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with apestar, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.
- Apesto a pescado en la cocina. — I stink of fish in the kitchen.
- Apesta a humo después del incendio. — He/she stinks of smoke after the fire.
- Ayer, apesté en el baño por la tubería. — Yesterday, I stank in the bathroom because of the pipe.
- Antes, nosotros apestábamos a basura en verano. — Before, we used to stink of rubbish in summer.
- Mañana, tú apestarás a pescado en la cocina. — Tomorrow, you will stink of fish in the kitchen.
- Yo apestaría a humo después del incendio si tuviera más tiempo. — I would stink of smoke after the fire if I had more time.
- Él ha apestado en el baño por la tubería. — He has stunk in the bathroom because of the pipe.
- Espero que él apeste a basura en verano. — I hope he stinks of rubbish in summer.
- Yo ya había apestado a pescado en la cocina antes de salir. — I had already stunk of fish in the kitchen before leaving.
- Ellos apestaban a humo después del incendio cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to stink of smoke after the fire when they were young.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: Yo apesta a pescado en la cocina. — Right: Yo apesto a pescado en la cocina. — The person matters: apesta is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is apesto. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
- Wrong: Ayer yo apesto a humo después del incendio. — Right: Ayer yo apesté a humo después del incendio. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: apesto is happening now, while apesté is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
- Wrong: Treating apestar and oler as identical in every context. — Right: Apestar means to stink, while oler means to smell. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: apestar fits sentences such as Apesto a pescado en la cocina, while oler belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
- Wrong: Yo soy apestado a humo después del incendio. — Right: Yo he apestado a humo después del incendio. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he apestado, has apestado, ha apestado. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
- Wrong: De niño, yo apesté en el baño por la tubería todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo apestaba en el baño por la tubería todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (apestaba), not the preterite. The preterite (apesté) is for one finished action.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on apestar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a pescado en la cocina. (present tense) A. apesto B. apestas C. apesta D. apestamos
Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ a humo después del incendio. (preterite) A. apesté B. apestaste C. apestaron D. apestó
Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ en el baño por la tubería. (imperfect) A. apestabas B. apestaban C. apestábamos D. apestaba
Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ a basura en verano. (future) A. apestaremos B. apestarás C. apestaré D. apestará
Complete the sentence: Yo ___ a pescado en la cocina si pudiera. (conditional) A. apestaría B. apestarías C. apestarían D. apesto
Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ a humo después del incendio. (present subjunctive) A. apestes B. apestemos C. apesto D. apeste
Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ en el baño por la tubería, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. apestáramos B. apesto C. apestara D. apestaras
Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ a basura en verano. (present perfect) A. han apestado B. hemos apestado C. he apestado D. has apestado
Complete the command: ¡___ a pescado en la cocina! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. apesta B. apeste C. apestemos D. apestad
Which is the gerund of apestar, used with estar for the progressive? A. apestado B. apesto C. apesté D. apestando
Answer key
- apesto — The first-person present of apestar is apesto. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
- apestó — The third-person preterite of apestar is apestó, the form for a single finished action in the past.
- apestábamos — The nosotros imperfect of apestar is apestábamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
- apestarás — The second-person future of apestar is apestarás.
- apestaría — The first-person conditional of apestar is apestaría, the form for what would happen.
- apeste — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of apestar is apeste.
- apestara — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of apestar is apestara.
- hemos apestado — The nosotros present perfect of apestar is hemos apestado: hemos + apestado.
- apesta — The affirmative tú imperative of apestar is apesta.
- apestando — The gerund of apestar is apestando: estoy apestando. The participle apestado is used with haber instead.
Frequently asked questions
What does apestar mean in English?
Apestar means to stink. It is used in everyday situations such as Apesto a pescado en la cocina. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.
Is apestar regular or irregular?
Apestar is a fully regular -ar verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including apesto in the present and apesté in the preterite.
What is the difference between apestar and oler?
Apestar means to stink, while oler means to smell. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use apestar when you mean to stink, as in Apesto a pescado en la cocina, and use oler for to smell. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.
How do I say “I stink” in the past?
It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo apesté a humo después del incendio. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo apestaba en el baño por la tubería. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he apestado a humo después del incendio.
How do I practise apestar?
Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the apestar examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.
Related links
- Apestar in the present tense — the full present-tense table for apestar.
- Apestar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice for apestar.
- Spanish verbs — the Spanish hub, with every verb and tense guide.
- Asear conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apestar.
- Asentar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apestar.
- Anticipar conjugation — another -ar verb to compare with apestar.
- Spanish Verb Conjugator — conjugate any Spanish verb in every tense.
- Spanish Verb Quiz — test yourself on real conjugated forms.